The History of Donkey Kong 64

Donkey Kong 64 has always had a special place in my heart. When I was younger one of my main activities was watching my older brother play DK64 in our Attic, with our friend from the neighborhood.

I never fully played through Donkey Kong 64 until this video, I’d always played bits and pieces of it, or I would play Monkey Smash with a friend of mine, always mashing B with Lanky Kong to hear that stupid noise he always made.

It’s odd to me how the internet and various other factors can bring a game to a certain point. Throughout my childhood, High school and college, Donkey Kong 64 was fondly remembered by the friends I had or the people I talked to who grew up with the Nintendo 64.

It’s one of those things, like when I realized that the Nintendo 64 did not even come close to reaching the PlayStation’s sales numbers, that is just an odd way of perceiving games.

It seems in the time since I was a kid shooting friends with the coconut gun or smacking enemies with Chunky Kong, the internet and a lot of people on it have turned against Donkey Kong 64. While playing through it, I understood many of the complaints. Having to go back and switch Kongs just to collect some Bananas or to go down a different path got to be annoying/cumbersome. Those things were pointed out in the original reviews though, and while I was annoyed at times, I still had a blast playing it. The platforming is tight, the characters are fun and imaginative, and while it’s not a perfect game, I personally still hold it’s a great platformer, and I think it’s better than Banjo Kazooie (don’t come after me please.)